For anybody who loves Tarot cards, either reading them or simply collecting them, there is an awesome Kickstarter campaign going for an Urban Tarot Deck. The pieces that are already done are simply gorgeous and I would love to see this come to fruition.

And going along with the theme of inclusive fiction, Elizabeth Bear’s new book, Range of Ghosts, is John Scalzi’s The Big Idea. Range of Ghosts is an epic fantasy set in an Asian landscape rather than the more popular European one. Another book added to my To Buy list.

And another book to add to my To Buy list is Stacia Kane’s newest Downside book Sacrificial Magic. Oy, my budget for the month is going to be shot at this rate.

Also, I find it amusing that the very first related article that WordPress recommends is my own post about Seanan McGuire being harrassed for Discount Armageddon being released early. That book, BTW, was AWESOME! I can’t wait for the next in the series.

9. “I Write Only For Me!”

Then don’t write. Sorry to be a hard-ass (ha ha, of course I’m not), but writing is an act of communicating. It’s an argument. It’s a conversation. (And yes, it’s entertainment.) And that necessitates at least one other person on the other end of this metaphorical phone call. You want to do something for yourself, eat a cheeseburger, buy an air conditioner, take a nap. Telling stories is an act we perform for others.

I’ve never written for myself. I write because I want other people to read my stories. I write because I want to share my brain dumpings with others. If I knew with an absolute 100% certainty that I would never be published, never have an audience for my work, I would walk away from it all. I would gather up all of my stories and burn them. I would permanently delete all of my writing folders.

Why? Because writing is hard work. Putting together a coherent, engaging story takes time, talent, and skill. And I’m too lazy to put that amount of physical work into something that only I will ever love.

If I want to tell stories to myself, I tell them to myself in my own head. That way I don’t have to worry about pacing, or dialogue, or continuity. I don’t have to be coherent in my own brain. I don’t have to fret over telling too much instead of showing. And better still, I can actually ENVISION the story instead of having to rely on words which don’t always do a scene justice.

I was just saying to a writer friend that I love to write. I love the rush of a good writing sprint. I love seeing my characters come to life on the page. But I can walk away from it all without going crazy.

For those of you wondering why I haven’t updated lately, it’s because my computer died a couple weeks ago and I still have not gotten my new one in. I’m hoping it comes in sometime this week because I’m stuck using my husband’s MacBook which I’m not a fan of. The keyboard is too small, I can’t get the screen resolution to a comfortable setting, using the trackpad is funky, and it just doesn’t seem to lend itself to doing actual work.

The truly aggravating part of this is that I can tell that I’m starting to get used to using it. I don’t stumble over the keys as much and I’m getting faster using the trackpad. So, of course, just when I’ll have gotten to the point of liking (or at least tolerating) this stupid thing, I’ll get my new computer in and have to get used to that one.

The upside to all of this is that I have about a dozen new books to add to my 52 in 52 list. I promise I’ll condense them down into several posts so i don’t overwhelm you all with book posts.

Random.org chose Anna O’Connell as the winner of Seanan McGuire’s Discount Armageddon. Congratulations, Anna! Please email me at dracos169 @ gmail dot com and let me know if you would prefer a physical copy or an e-book and where I should send it to.

ETA: If Anna does not contact me before Monday, March 11, then I will be choosing a new winner.

Today is the last day to enter to win a copy of Seanan McGuire’s Discount Armageddon. You have until midnight tonight to comment on my post here to be entered.

Author Adrian Phoenix is giving away three signed copies of Rob Thurman’s newest Cal book, Doubletake, which also releases on Monday. To win, she just wants you to tell her who your favorite character is in the Cal world. You have until Monday to enter her contest.

IT’S DARKEST JUST BEFORE THE DAWN

With Blind Michael and his Hunt safely behind her, October “Toby” Daye is doing her best to settle back into a normal routine—or as normal of a routine as she can manage, with her personal Fetch now paying half the rent. Still, things seem to be mostly under control…until the events of a single night send everything reeling. Now, with the Queen of the Mists watching her back and the Lady of the Tea Gardens deathly ill, Toby has no choice but to get involved, no matter how much she wants to avoid it.

The trials ahead will be some of the worst faced by Toby and her strange band of allies, and not even Tybalt will be able to escape totally unscathed. What’s worse, the Luidaeg is unavailable to help them. This time, they’re on their own. And people keep making Toby wear dresses, which is just adding insult to dangerous injury…